


Respect and Responsibility

by Proskenion



Category: Runaway Max (Stranger Things Novel), Stranger Things (TV 2016), Stranger Things Novels
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Angst, Beating, Belting, Billy's POV, Child Abuse, Cigarettes, Corporal Punishment, Domestic Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Language, Gen, Homophobic Language, Hurt No Comfort, Language, Missing Scene, POV First Person, Physical Abuse, Smoking, Strong Language, Underage Smoking, Whipping, belt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24803437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proskenion/pseuds/Proskenion
Summary: On Halloween night, Billy was in charge of Max, but he left her alone and went to a party instead. So she walked back home, late and alone, and…This is a scene from theRunaway Maxnovel, aStranger Thingsnovel told from Max POV. Here, I tell the same scene, from Billy's POV. Definitely works as a Season 2 Missing Scene one-shot.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove & Neil Hargrove
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	Respect and Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys ! 
> 
> I just binge-watched Stranger Things and now I'm obsessed lol. Last season really broke my heart, and I needed more, so I ran towards the books, starting with _Runaway Max_ because, well, Max and Billy stole my heart ^^'
> 
> This is really angsty. You're warned...

I dragged myself out of my car and walked to the door. I knew I was in deep shit, because I was meant to drive my _beloved little sister_ home, but not only did I leave her behind, I was also late. Yet, I froze when I came in. I wasn't expecting the whole household to be there, Susan being ridiculous in her night clothes and with her creamy face, Neil standing in the middle of the room and Max watching me with golden fish's eyes. No hope to be spared a scene, now. 

"And where the hell have you been?" Neil asked. 

"Nowhere," I answered, feeling the bitter taste of alcohol mixed with cigarettes on my tongue.

I tried to walk past him but he blocked me. 

"What was that?" Neil's voice was low and dangerous.

I mumbled something, I'm not quite sure what, some stupid excuses about my tire or something, I can't quite remember now. I remember what happened afterwards, though. 

I heard Susan gasp and ask Max why she would lie to them, why she didn't say I had left her. Ah, the brat had tried to cover it up for me then. How kind. I stood motionless all the time Max and her mom argued, only wishing for everyone to shut up and let me go to bed. But when they stopped and just stared at each other, I suddenly wish for them to start talking again. Because now it was Neil's turn to talk. 

"I'm curious to know where you learned to be so disobedient." 

I don't know what got into me then, but I felt my blood boiling in my veins. I looked up straight into his eyes and growled: 

"Bite me, Neil. I'm not in the mood." 

I could feel Susan and Max cringe next to me. I myself had to fight with all my willpower not to run away from Neil. The air turned into a deep, electric fog, and it felt like if anyone of us moved just an inch they would immediately be struck by lightning. Neil's voice when he started to speak made me shiver. He started very low, his voice growing and growing until it ended in a massive roar: 

"I don't know where you've been or what you've been up to, but you will show me some _respect_ !" 

And the lightning had struck. Susan gasped, took a step back. I didn't need to look at her to picture her eyes going blank, as if she was hiding inside herself. Max hid behind her Halloween mask before running out of the room. _That's it, little rabbit, run, run and hide deep in your hole._

I heard her door closing in the distance and like an echo, Neil's hand came across my face. The slap made me stumble, but he had to punch me hard in my stomach to make me fall at his feet. I heard a scream, but I don't know if it was me or Susan running away in her own room. All I know is that when I hit the ground, it was only Neil and me alone. I was expecting pain to quickly follow, but instead Neil benched down over me to grab my pants. I started at first, but then I realised what he was doing: he was taking my own belt to use on me, because he wasn't wearing one. The absurdity of it made me laugh out loud. 

He caught my hair in his fist and dragged me to the kitchen table. My laughter turned into a moan when he shoved me hard on the wood surface, pushing my face against it with all his strength. I was stuck, I couldn't move. Or actually, I could have, if it wasn't Neil - but with Neil, my body had learned long ago not to fight back. So instead I gripped the table and closed my eyes. 

Neil took the bottom of my jacket to put it up and reveal my back, or half of it at least. All this seemed to take an incredible amount of time, as if seconds had turned into centuries. I felt the cool air on my bare skin. I felt the goosebumps grow slowly, almost excruciatingly. I braced myself. 

"Are you ready to take your punishment?" 

Always that same question. I wanted to turn and shout at his face to shut the fuck up and get on with it already. But he was holding me down, his hands deep in my hair, and my mind refused to act. I groaned as an answer. 

The cracking sound of the belt rang in the silent room and sent ripples of pain along my skin and deep into my bones. I hunched my back at every blow. I kept a tight grip on the table, I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt, and I pressed my eyelids shut to prevent the tears from running. But after too many lashes, my whole body was trembling and I stopped caring and my mind surrendered. I cried and I moaned and the bottom of my back was burning like hell. I was almost broken enough to beg him to stop - almost. 

When Neil stopped, I stayed tensed and motionless. He had to pull me up by my hair. 

"I hope you've learn your lesson this time," Neil growled dangerously to my face. "Now, remind me, what did I tell you? What do I want you to stick inside your stupid pussy's head?" 

I took one deep breath, and another. I glanced at him, quickly. I felt worn out, on the edge of passing out and to be perfectly frank I was wishing to. I said in a mumbled whisper: 

"Respect and responsibility." 

"I didn't quite hear that." 

"Repesct and responsibility," I repeated louder. 

Neil stared at me with his deadly glare. His face was too close to mine, his eyes felt like two burning cigarettes on my skin. The only thing I wanted now was to go and lie down in the darkness of my room. But Neil did not seem to be done with me yet. He took my chin and made me look at him. For one scary moment I thought he was going to hit me again. But instead he said, whispering, though it almost sounded scarier this way:

"You are such a disrespectful, helpless shithead, you know that?" 

"Yes, sir." 

I felt the tear run slowly down my cheek. It felt like acid on my skin. It did not matter what tool he was using. Belt, fists, or words, it was all the same ; he always found a way to hurt me just enough to make me crack, like a windshield does when impacted by a stone. 

"Get out of my sight," he spat out with disdain, pushing me away. 

Before I could go he put my belt in my hand. My fist clenched over it tightly. I obeyed, stumbling to my room. I stopped, just a split second, to glance at Max's room's closed door. Then I entered mine. I slammed the door behind me, and I stood there in the dark. The belt felt heavier in my hand any new seconds and I stayed like that until it was too much for me to bear. I threw the belt through the room with a loud grunt. It hit my wardrobe with a clicking sound and fell to the floor with a thud. I took my jacket off and walked in without switching the light on. I put the jacket on my bed, took my shoes and my pants off and left them abandoned on the floor, leaving me in my underwear. 

I opened the window. I took a deep breath in. The air was icy cold, my skin was burning hot. I grabbed a cigarette, sticked it between my lips, lit it. I listened to the silence. 

Who knows why I thought of Max at that moment, hidden in her room and trying so hard to pretend everything was fine. I smirked. What a stupid child she was. I took a puff and slowly exhaled the smoke, without taking the cigarette out of my mouth, both my hands on my hips. 

I remembered the first time Neil beat the shit out of me in front of Max. She'd try to stop him. He had stopped, just the time to look at her and smile. Then he turned back on me and started hitting me again, harder than before, as if to show Max - and myself - that there was no stopping him. When he'd been done with me she'd come to me asking if I was alright. I'd wanted to slap her in the face. What a dumb question. At that moment, I hated her so much. I hated her for seeing me like this, for being stupid enough to think she just needed to tell Neil to stop for him to do it. I hated her for being concerned. I hated her for making things worse. I told her to get away from me, twice, and the second time she listened. 

Now I hated her for running and hiding, for pretending nothing ever happened. I hated her for being there, for being part of my life, for existing. I hated Susan too, but Susan was there without really being there, she was just smoke, some steam on a glass. But Max, she was real, too real sometimes. She was a pain in the ass. She was another reason, another pretext for Neil to lash out on me. Not that he needed her for that, but there she was, adding to the ordeal. I hated her, the same way I hated everything, because that's what happens to people around Neil Hargrove, they learn how hate and fear. So every now and then, I lashed out on her. Honest retaliation, I say. And well, that's how Hargroves show they care, right, _dad_ ? 

My cigarette was consumed, all the ashes fallen at my feet, and I stood there with only the butt pinched between my lips. I spat it out through the window and went to my bed. Lying there, I tried to remember a time when I wasn't full of rage and hatred all the time. I closed my eyes. Exhaustion washed over me quickly, and in this strange state between awakening and sleep, I found myself wishing for Max or Susan to come to me and whisper comforting words to my ears, like my mom used to do when I was a kid. Tell me everything would be alright because she was there with me. For a brief moment, I wished to hear those lies again. 

I fell asleep alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading ! Feedbacks are always appreciated :) <3


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